Earlier this year Tesla was granted a full five stars in the NHTSA's round of vehicle crash testing for its Model S electric car.

While the way Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] originally announced that figure drew some flak from the NHTSA itself--suggesting the car was capable of a rating of more than five stars--the test data itself confirmed that the car was still among the safest vehicles ever crash tested by the governing body. Better still, the 2014 model year car has also been given a five-star rating.

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Despite recent reports of fires resulting from road debris and accidents, Tesla has maintained all along that it offers one of the safest vehicles on the roads. Statistically, says Tesla, the Model S is over five times less likely to suffer a fire than other vehicles--based on the sheer number of vehicle fires that happen each year. While Tesla's incidents have been widely reported, those for many other brands aren't. The company is also proud of its safety record--in over 100 million miles of driving in Tesla Model S vehicles, there have been no serious injuries or deaths. That's something no other company can claim, no matter how safe their vehicles have been up until now.

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The reaffirmation of the Model S electric sedan's high safety score rounds up an up-and-down year for the California-based firm, which has enjoyed strong sales and good reviews, tainted with fires and difficulties expanding its sales networks to states with strong dealer associations. Tesla is still awaiting the results of an NHTSA investigation into the fires, though a similar German safety body has announced that no alterations are needed to sell the car in that country after reviewing the car itself.

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